


Beach Town Days

by AleneShazam



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: BEACH GAYS, BIG GAYS, F/F, Fluff, Jimo-ai kills me, Sleepovers, Slice of Life, big fluff, ghghghg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-08 16:34:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12868587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AleneShazam/pseuds/AleneShazam
Summary: "Let's have a chat / While crunching the sand beneath our feet / Our summer life in our very own hometown"In which Yoshiko spends a week at Yo's, and maybe falls in love.[YoHane! The Jimo Ai Oneshot! Mostly canon compliant.]





	Beach Town Days

**Author's Note:**

> I cannot get Jimo Ai outta my head, it's so good--
> 
> I've been informed that apparently, Yo lives 10 minutes away from Yoshiko which shook me real hard. So for the purposes of this fic assume Yo lives closer to Uchiura than what real-life geography would suggest.
> 
> Huge thanks to Lex, Kyousoro, Lucia Hunter and Adurnah for beta-reading! You guys are the best!!
> 
> Follow my tumblr for updates, art, requests, and more! (<https://worldofoasis.tumblr.com/>)

**Day 1: In which Yoshiko gets evicted (not really but still)**

It’s a warm, sunny day. The school is quiet, with none of the bustle and life it normally has. After all, it’s the summer holidays, and no one willingly comes to school during the holidays.

No one except for Aqours, Uranohoshi Girl’s Academy’s resident school idols.

“...So that’s why here we kick, and treat the audience to an upskirt~”

“M-Mari! That’s- that’s inappropriate!”

Today, the girls are split up, discussing their upcoming live where they’ll be performing as their subunits. In the Guilty Kiss corner of the clubroom, Riko pushes Mari’s sketch of the proposed choreography back across the table to her in vehement denial. “We are _not_ giving the audience an upskirt!”

“Just imagine them to be Chika and you’ll be fine,” Mari says slyly, to which Riko only blushes bright red. Mari looks over to Yoshiko, sitting uncharacteristically quietly to one side. “Yoshiko, what do you think?” 

Yoshiko doesn’t respond, and Mari frowns, noticing Yoshiko’s absent expression. “Yoshiko?”

Ignoring Mari’s question, Yoshiko suddenly stands up, clearing her throat and throwing her arm out dramatically. The other subunits stop their work, looking questioningly at Yoshiko. “I have an announcement to make,” Yoshiko proclaims. A moment passes as she holds the pose.

“…Are you going to tell us that announcement?” Chika eventually asks.

“I’m getting to it!” Yoshiko insists, before clearing her throat again. “I just needed to impress upon you the importance of this announcement.”

“Well, we’ve been thoroughly impressed, so you may make your announcement.” Dia says tightly. “Then we can get back to work; don’t forget that Guilty Kiss has yet to submit the designs for their next set of costumes.”

Yoshiko grimaces. “I’m working on them! Lily’s just being difficult with the mini-skirts…”

“I’m _not_ wearing a miniskirt. Not with our choreography.”

“She’ll come around to it,” Mari says, patting Riko on the back, who mutters something about Yoshiko and Mari being perverts.

“Anyway! My announcement!” Yoshiko clears her throat _again_ , third time in just as many minutes. “My domain has fallen into chaos and is temporarily uninhabitable. I require a sanctuary to shelter in while my realm is returned to normal.”

A long silence ensues as the girls stare blankly at Yoshiko. “Uh…” Kanan raises a hand. “Come again? This time in Japanese?”

Yoshiko glares at Kanan, before sighing and rubbing the bridge of her nose. “Mortals…” She grumbles, and clarifies her announcement. “My apartment is being renovated next week. I need a place to stay.” She turns to look at Ruby and Hanamaru. And by extension Dia as well. “Are either of your houses available?”

Hanamaru looks at Dia and Ruby awkwardly for a moment. “Er… Sorry, Yoshiko, but I don’t think either of our places will work, zura…” Hanamaru says, and Ruby nods in agreement.

Yoshiko frowns. “How come?” She figured maybe one of them wouldn’t be ok with it, but both?

“Well, the Kurosawa family is going on a trip to Kyoto to meet with distant relatives.” Dia says.

“Ruby invited Hanamaru to come along with us, and our guardians on both sides have agreed to it. The whole trip will take about a week, coinciding with your renovations. So unfortunately you won’t be able to stay with us, Yoshiko.”

Yoshiko bites her lip. Right, of course. She’d forgotten about it but Hanamaru has talked to her about going on a trip with Ruby. She was all nervous about it because she’d have to spent a lot of time with the Kurosawa parents. Yoshiko hadn’t realized that she was talking about next week.

With her first choice down, she turns to her fellow Guilty Kiss members. “Lily? Mari? How about your homes?”

“Sorry, Yoshiko. Chika and I are going on a trip to Tokyo… We’re not going to be there either…” Riko says apologetically. “I mean, you could probably still stay as long as my mom is okay with it…”

Yoshiko grimaces. That _could_ work, but then she’d probably find out what the deal actually is between her mom and Riko’s mom, and that’s one mystery that Yoshiko is totally fine with staying a mystery.

And Yoshiko doesn’t know Chika’s family well enough to confidently stay there without it being awkward.

“Mari?” Yoshiko asks hopefully.

Mari and Kanan exchange looks. “ _Well…_ ” Mari clicks her tongue. “I sort of invited Kanan to go on a leisure cruise date…”

Yoshiko sighs, nodding in understanding. “I get it. Rich people stuff. That’s fine.”

She straightens up, looking over the members of Aqours. The Kurosawas are out, as is Hanamaru, Chika and Riko, and Kanan and Mari. That leaves…

“…Yo? What about you?” Yoshiko asks, reluctantly looking over to the second year.

Yo shrugs. “My dad’s back, and he and mom are off on a pleasure cruise, so my place is free.” She smiles at Yoshiko. “If you don’t mind staying with me, I’m totally okay with it.”

Yoshiko feels a nervous bubbling in her stomach. It’s not that Yoshiko _doesn’t_ like Yo. In fact it’s the opposite. Yoshiko maybe, might, have a tiny girl crush on Yo. Just a little bit.

To be fair, who doesn’t? Yo’s nice, and pretty, and athletic. She’s popular with everyone in school. She may have a small cult following. Yoshiko’s allowed to be a little bit attracted to her.

Which makes staying at her plac _e_ for a whole week kind of a terrifying prospect for Yoshiko. But like a good kind of terrifying. Exciting, as well as scary.

Trying to hide her nervousness, Yoshiko clears her throat and says, “In that case, I suppose I’ll take you up on that offer.” She puts out a hand awkwardly.

Oh no. Why did she put a hand out that’s _awkward—_

Without batting an eyelid, Yo reaches out as well and shakes on it. “I’m looking forward to it.” She gives Yoshiko _that_ smile, the one where she shows a little bit of teeth and her cheeks dimple. Yoshiko’s cheeks redden, and she pulls her hand back like Yo’s hand is made of hot coals.

“Well, er, yes.” Yoshiko coughs. “Anyway, we should get back to work, huh? Uh, Riko, as I was saying, you _really_ should be used to this by now…”

Yo raises an eyebrow at Yoshiko’s reaction, but the group quickly dissolves back into the subunit discussions, leaving Yoshiko alone to think about how she’s looking forward to it too.

* * * * *

It’s about midday when Yoshiko arrives, heralded by Yo’s phone ringing.

“Heya,” Yo picks up the call. “Yoshiko?”

“Yohane!” Yoshiko snaps. She sighs, and adds, “I’m in front of your house. As a higher being of Hell, I of course expect a queen’s reception—”

Yo hangs up the call and runs downstairs.

Sure enough, when she opens the front door, Yoshiko’s standing there looking annoyed. “You hung up on me!” She glowers at You, arms crossed angrily.

Yoshiko, surprisingly enough, isn’t in one of her goth-lolita dresses. Instead she’s in a casual black-and-white t-shirt and a short black skirt, with a white hoodie on top. Normally Yo only sees Yoshiko in her uniform, or her practice clothes, so it’s a breath of fresh air.

She has to admit, Yoshiko looks pretty good in casual. Cute, even.

“Sorry,” Yo grins, entirely unapologetically. She steps back, allowing Yoshiko access to the door. “Wanna come inside?”

“I suppose that’ll have to do for a reception,” Yoshiko sniffs, holding her head high as she steps inside, pulling her luggage behind her. Yo just laughs, closing the door behind them. Yoshiko’s mannerisms can be grating sometimes, but after getting used to them Yo finds them strangely endearing.

In a weird, quirky sort of way, of course.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Yo says as they head inside. She does this sweeping gesture that would be lame for anyone else, but somehow she manages to make it look cool. “It’s not much, but it’s home.”

Yoshiko looks around. Even only at the doorway, she can tell that it’s Yo’s house. There’s an omnipresent nautical motif that runs through all of the decorations; baby blue wallpaper, wave patterned picture frames, wooden anchors hung up on the walls. There are imprints of fishes displayed on the walls, with well-polished bronze plaques proudly proclaiming their dates of capture and size. Yoshiko doesn’t fish, but they look impressive enough.

There’s lots of pictures, too, of Yo with her parents, hanging out with Chika and/or Kanan, and of course of her at the beach and on boats. There’s one where Yo is very small, and wearing an extra small sailor’s uniform. Her arm is lifted in a cute attempt at a salute. Yoshiko lingers on that one for a while before continuing on.

On the left side of the small foyer of the house is the kitchen, the right side leads to the living room. “Have you had lunch yet?” Yo asks, as they pass by the kitchen.

“I need only negative energy and the souls of sinners. I do not need food to sustain myself—” Yoshiko starts, before her stomach growls. Loudly. She glares down at her stomach. Top 10 anime betrayals.

Yo stifles a laugh, managing to contain it to a smirk and nods. “Uh huh.” She grins, and Yoshiko looks away.

“…I can just grab something from the convenience store, it’s fine.” Yoshiko finishes lamely.

Yo sighs and shakes her head. “Let’s just get you settled in first, and _then_ let’s see.”

Together they drag Yoshiko’s heavy luggage - filled with God knows what - over to the staircase. Yoshiko insists she can do it alone, but after failing to drag one of the two suitcases up even a few steps, Yo decides to pitch in, and with the strength of two people they manage to haul her baggage up the flight of stairs to Yo’s room.

“My room’s a bit of a mess,” Yo admits before they actually go into the room. “I tried tidying up a little but it’s still kinda cluttered.”

She pushes the door open, and Yoshiko gawks. “You call _that_ cluttered?”

Sure, it’s a little messy here and there, with buckets of fabric and lace and ribbons stacked up on boxes of sequins and buttons in one corner, and scrunched up paper - Aqours designs - piled up by a wastebasket, but on the whole it’s probably one of the nicest rooms Yoshiko’s been in. The floor is hearty wood, except for under the bed, where it’s carpeted with a fluffy rug. A headless mannequin with half a dress on sits in one corner, a measuring tape hanging from its neck. A wardrobe sits against one wall, facing a balcony that overlooks the waterfront. Everything is colour coordinated in alternating shades of light blue and white - Yo’s colours.

There’s a mattress laid out on the ground beside Yo’s bed, sporting - Yoshiko notes with approval - a black bedcover and sheets. The pillows are purple.

“They’re my colours,” Yoshiko says, thoroughly impressed.

“We had them lying around, so…” Yo rubs the back of her neck.

“This is nicer than _my_ room,” Yoshiko complains, looking around. “What the Hell, Watanabe?”

“Shucks,” Yo says, clearly embarrassed. “Come on, we can just put your luggage over there.”

They push Yoshiko’s luggage over to one corner, by the mannequin. Just as Yoshiko relaxes, her stomach suddenly lets out a loud gurgle, and she quickly doubles over, clutching her stomach in embarrassment.

“I-I’m not hungry! Fallen angels have no such biological weaknesses,” Yoshiko stammers, glaring down at her stomach. “I just… need a moment…”

Her stomach gurgles again, and Yo laughs. “Do you want to eat now? It’s past lunchtime, but if you’re hungry, you should probably get something,” Yo gestures at the door, towards the stairs. “Come on, I can cook if you don’t wanna go out.”

Yoshiko’s ears perk up at the suggestion. Yo’s home cooking? Does she dare miss such an opportunity?

“…If, if you’re willing to put in the effort of cooking for me, then… it wouldn’t be right to not eat the food. It’s not because I’m hungry, okay?”

“Sure, sure,” Yo smiles and nods, turning to head downstairs. “Come on, let’s see what we have in the kitchen.”

Turns out, they don’t have much in the kitchen.

Yo sighs as she stares at the pantry. “I’ll have to go shopping later…”

Yoshiko peers at the cabinet and fridge from over Yo’s shoulder. There’s a single packet of udon noodles, some handfuls of vegetables, and a few pieces of sliced beef. “That’s… not a lot to work with,” Yoshiko agrees.

“Oh!” Yo suddenly perks up, smiling. “I know what to do. Sit down, it’ll only take a few minutes to get started.”

Yo gestures at the dining table, and Yoshiko obliges, pulling up a chair and sitting herself down. She’s not sure what to expect, but she watches as Yo takes out all of the ingredients and gets to work, chopping the vegetables and meat into small bite-sized chunks. She then puts a pan on the stove, lighting it up and patiently waiting for the pan to get hot. In the meantime, she boils up a pot of water and tosses the udon into it, breaking it up.

It’s at this point that Yoshiko realizes what Yo is making. “Is that… stir-fry?” Yoshiko asks, as Yo pushes the vegetables and meat into the now-hot pan. Yoshiko recalls Yo’s fried noodles from the time they helped out the stall, and her mouth starts to water. Yo’s stir-fry is seriously good.

Yo smiles. “Yup! I usually do it with more variety, but hey, you gotta work with what you have.”

Within moments of dumping the udon into the pan, Yo drizzles the pan with sauce, and mixes the udon together with the stir-fried veg and meats. She then plates up the food, and with a wide smile, presents Yoshiko with a plate of steaming udon stir-fry. “Here you go!” Yo says happily, sitting down opposite to Yoshiko. “Enjoy.”

Yoshiko’s nose twitches at the delicious smell of fried vegetables and meat. Her stomach growls again, and she picks a few strands of fried udon with her chopsticks, raising them to her mouth.

“…’S good…” Yoshiko mumbles.

“Hm?” Yo tilts her head.

“I- I said, it’s a sufficient offering. It’ll- it’ll do.” Yoshiko says haughtily, before lowering her head slightly. “…Thanks, Yo.”

It’s delicious. The noodles are chewy, but not tough, the meat is tender, and the vegetables have a good texture to it; the sauce is on point, giving the dish a light salty taste. As far as home cooked stir fry goes, it’s about as good as it gets.

Yo breathes out in relief. “Oh, good. I was worried it wouldn’t turn out good,” Yo says. “I don’t really do this for other people, so…”

Yoshiko looks up, curious. “What do you mean?”

“Er, cooking. I cook for myself, and sometimes for Mom, but I don’t really cook for other people. Uh, not privately, anyway,” Yo admits, unconsciously tracing patterns into the table with an idle finger. Yoshiko quirks an eyebrow - is Yo… _embarrassed?_ Yoshiko’s kind of amazed; Yo is always so confident and outgoing, Yoshiko’s not used to seeing Yo shy at all. It’s almost cute.

“What about during the summer training? You cooked for all of Aqours,” Yoshiko points out.

“Well, yeah, but that’s cooking for a group. Cooking for one person feels… I dunno, more personal?” Yo says uncertainly, before smiling apologetically at Yoshiko. “Sorry, I’m not making any sense.”

Yoshiko shrugs. “I suppose I understand some of it… although, wouldn’t you have cooked for Chika? Or Kanan? You’ve known them since childhood, no?”

“Not really… we just kind of mucked around outside, there’s not much opportunity to cook.”

“Huh,” Yoshiko nods slowly. “I feel kind of special, now.”

Yo shakes her head, “Well, it’s just home cooking… It’s really nothing spectacular.”

“But it’s really good!” Yoshiko argues, before she catches herself and adds, “For mortal cuisine, of course. You should be proud of what you can do.”

Yo smiles. “Thanks, Yoshiko,” She pauses for a moment. “What else do you want to try? We can go grocery shopping later, I can get ingredients if you want me to make something specific.”

“Curry!” Yoshiko says, with barely any hesitation. “I want to try your curry.”

“Okay, curry it is. I know there’s a family recipe rolling around somewhere… Uh, Yoshiko, do you mind doing the dishes while I go look for that in the storage room?”

“It is a worthy price for Watanabe curry,” Yoshiko nods. Yo smiles, and after giving Yoshiko a final little wave, she runs upstairs to look for the recipe book. Yoshiko turns to the few things that need washing; she can do at least this to repay Yo for letting her stay in her home. All she has to do is not break anything.

She ends up breaking a dish when it slips out of her hand because of the soap.

  


**Day 2: Casual Summertime (Onwards to Shenanigans)**

Yo prides herself on her accurate senses. Living by the sea, she’s intimately aware of the winds and the humidity in the air, and can smell rain coming from a mile away. Of course, she also has a precise circadian cycle, and her biological clock has never failed her.

Which is why, when she wakes up in the morning, she’s reasonably sure it’s when she always wakes up, 6 in the morning. She yawns, rubs the sleep out of her eyes and stretches lazily, feeling her tired limbs pop and creak awake.

Patting around her bedside table, she feels her fingers close around her glasses, and she puts them on, blinking for a moment to adjust. She yawns again, and moves to get off her bed, only to jump when her feet press against something soft, instead of the floorboard.

“Ow!”

A pair of sleepy magenta eyes open, and glare up at her. Oh, right. Yoshiko’s there. In her morning grogginess, Yo’d forgotten.

“Whuh…? Yo? Izzat you?” Yoshiko mumbles, blinking in an attempt to focus.

“Sorry!” Yo whispers. “Are you okay?”

“Uh…” Yoshiko shakes her head to clear it of drowsiness. “I’m fine… You just surprised me.”

“Oh, good.” Yo breathes out, scratching her cheek awkwardly. “Uh, sorry for stepping on you…”

“It’s fine…” Yoshiko peers at a clock, and frowns. “What are you doing at this ungodly hour? No one should be up at 6 during the summer holidays.”

“Oh! I’m going to go on my morning run,” Yo explains. “After talking to Kanan I figured I should work on my cardio, so I’ve been working on building up my endurance by running.”

“Huh,” Yoshiko says, nodding before slowly lower her head. “Well, have fun with that.”

Yo pouts. “Don’t you want to come run with me?” She pauses, and a mischievous glint comes to her eyes. “Don’t you wanna run away with me? Just the two of us?”

Yoshiko draws her blankets over her head. “It’s too early for awkward half-flirts… you do whatever, I’m going back to bed.”

Yo pouts at her cold response, but also blushes a little at being called out. She sighs, and nods. “Okay. You’re free to use whatever to make breakfast, okay?”

“Mmm.”

A hand sticks out from under the sheets to wave Yo off.

* * * * *

That night Yo and Yoshiko are trying to finish off the excess curry Yo made last night when Yo hits upon an ingenious idea.

“Where are you going?” Yoshiko asks curiously as Yo suddenly stands up, a sly grin on her face.

“You’ll see,” Yo smirks, stepping away for a moment. She comes back a few seconds later with two bottles in hand, and Yoshiko lets out a gasp.

“Is that…” Yoshiko lowers her voice, even though there’s no one else in the house. “ _Is that alcohol?_ ”

Yo grins. “My dad’s stash. He said I can crack one open if the occasion calls for it.”

Yoshiko glances at Yo. “Do you drink much?”

“Not really,” Yo shrugs. “But it’s in the blood, you know?”

“Alcohol?”

“No, drinking.” Yo gives Yoshiko a flat look. “My dad’s a sailor, right? There’s got to be some kind of genetic thing going on there. He tells me there’s nothing like a cold cider out on the rolling waves.”

“Right…” Yoshiko licks her lips. She’s had alcohol before - this dinner and that, when her mom’s in the mood or during weddings or whatever - but it’s mostly been just sips of wine, and always under supervision. She checks the bottle - it’s just cider, so it’s not too strong… probably…

Fishing a bottle opener out of her pocket, Yo pops the cap off of her bottle. Lifting it to her nose, she takes a sniff of the fragrant apple cider. She then helps get Yoshiko’s bottle’s cap off.

“Cheers?” She holds the bottle up.

Yoshiko glances at Yo’s bottle, then to the one in her own hand. Sighing, she lifts the bottle up and clinks it against Yo’s. “Cheers.”

Yoshiko accidentally takes a larger gulp than she’d expected, choking on the mouthful of cider. When she recovers, though, she gives a hum of pleasant surprise. It’s got a distinctive bitter tang, but there’s an undercurrent of fruity sweetness that makes it palatable.

“It’s nice, right?” Yo smiles at Yoshiko.

“As far as mortal drinks go, it’s not bad,” Yoshiko responds haughtily, though she takes another, this time more measured sip of the cider.

Yo grins, and drinks as well.

* * * * *

“I can’t believe how much of a lightweight you are,” Yo doesn’t even try to hide the massive grin on her face. They’ve transitioned from the dining table back to their room, and at some point Yoshiko slipped and Yo caught her so now Yoshiko’s just sort of leaning heavily against Yo on Yo’s bed and mumbling about will-o-wisps.

“There’s one on your cheek,” Yoshiko giggles, poking Yo’s cheek. “H-Hey, Yo?”

“Yeah?”

“You know, will-o-wisps are attracted by, uh, by death,” Yoshiko slurs slowly.

“You’ve mentioned,” Yo says wryly. “Like five or six times now.”

Yoshiko nods seriously. “So- So, uh…” She frowns deeply in concentration. “Uh…”

“Don’t hurt your noggin’, genius girl.”

“I’ll get there!” Yoshiko snaps, before trying to complete her train of thought. “Uh… will-o-wisps are attracted by death… and there’s one on you…” Her eyes widen in revelation. “Are you- Are you dead people?”

Yo loses it.

“Don’t laugh! This is… this is _very_ important,” Yoshiko pouts, pushing her body’s weight against Yo’s back. Her arms loop over Yo’s shoulders, and she rests her chin on top of Yo’s head. “What are you looking at?”

Yo tries to rein in her laughter, sniffing and letting out a few mildly delirious giggles. “I, uh, I’m just scrolling through messages from Chika and Riko.”

“What! Show me,” Yoshiko demands, weakly making a grab at Yo’s phone. Yo laughs and leans forward, holding her phone away from Yoshiko as she pulls up some of the pictures.

“Patience! Jeez, Yoshiko, you’re like a whole different person when you’re drunk.”

“It’s Yohane! Now show me, or Imma curse you!”

“Fine, fine,” Yo chuckles and scrolls up to the top of the list. “Here. Chika and Riko on the Shinkansen.”

She calls up a selfie taken by Chika, her face taking up most of the picture, with Riko in one tiny corner trying to get Chika to sit down.

The next few pictures are also from the train, mostly of Chika messing around and Riko trying to get her to chill out. However there’s also a really sweet one where Riko seems to have dozed off on Chika’s shoulder, and Chika’s winking at the camera while doing a ‘shush’ gesture.

“That’s cute,” Yo murmurs. She lingers on the picture for a while before swiping over to the next picture.

There’s one where Chika’s posing in front of the giant board with the railway map. A candid shot of Riko buying coffee. A selfie of the two of them in front of an idol merchandize shop. A really blurry photo of Riko buying some kind of book, followed immediately by a blurry sequence of Riko chasing after camerawoman Chika. The bedroom of their hotel, with - how shameless - a single bed.

“They look like they’re having fun,” Yoshiko comments, peering at the photos from over Yo.

Yo nods. “They do,” She says.

Yoshiko looks down at Yo. “Are you having fun?”

“I’m happy if Chika and Riko are happy,” Yo says quietly. Yoshiko frowns, and tries to orient herself so she’s facing Yo. She only manages to sort of lean far to one side and get a side-profile of Yo. Yo gives her a sidelong glance, and tries to smile reassuringly. “I’m fine, really, I am. They’ve both been working pretty hard, they deserve the break.”

“Hmmm…”

Yoshiko tilts her head. “Do you uhhh…” She hesitates. Yo thinks she may be trying to be delicate. “Do you _like_ Chika?”

Yo’s expecting the question, so she only smiles. Riko, bless her careful heart, asked her the same thing. “Maybe I did. A long time ago I’d have said yes, but… not anymore,” Yo says. “Chika’s very important to me, but so is Riko. So is everyone in Aqours. I just want to see you all happy.”

“Wow—” Yoshiko wraps her arms around Yo’s shoulders in a loose hug. “You big sap.”

“I get sentimental when I drink,” Yo shrugs, but she has a small smile on her face. “Sue me.”

“But I get you, though.” Yoshiko says, suddenly a little more serious.

“Do you?” Yo tilts her head.

“Ruby and Zuramaru - bless them - they’re perfect and I love them. Really.” Yoshiko begins, a small smile finding its way onto her face. “But sometimes they’re so in love with each other that I feel like the best thing to do is just stay out of their way.”

“Ah,” Yo nods slowly. “I see.”

Right, Yoshiko _would_ understand how Yo feels. The third-years have their weird threesome thing going on, but Yoshiko and Yo are both the third-wheelers of their year group.

“What do you think Ruby and Hanamaru are up to? …And Dia, I guess?”

“RIP Dia,” Yoshiko smirks, before fumbling to find her own phone. “I think the last picture I saw was, uh… like takoyaki or something…”

“Ah, right. It’s Hanamaru,” Yo smiles, then laughs when Yoshiko yawns. “You should probably get to bed.”

“I’m already in bed,” Yoshiko protests.

“Right, but it’s _my_ bed,” Yo points out.

Yoshiko pouts. “I don’t want to move. I invoke the ancient code of immortals and requisition this bed.”

Yo sighs, and shakes her head in mild exasperation. “Fine, you can keep the bed. But you owe me one, okay?”

“Okay.” Yoshiko says quietly, already nestling into the soft sheets with a satisfied smile on her face.

Yo straightens up, and goes over to turn off the room lights. With that done, she ambles over to the mattress and lies down on it, stretching out and yawning. “Goodnight, Yoshiko.”

“Yohane,” Yoshiko mutters sleepily. There’s a long while where she’s silent, and Yo assumes she’s fallen asleep, when she suddenly speaks up again. “Hey, Yo?”

“Hmm?”

“Earlier you said you don’t like Chika in that way…” She hesitates. “Is there anyone that you _do_ like in that way?”

Yo closes her eyes for a moment, taking a long breath. “…Yeah.”

“Really?” Yo can hear Yoshiko’s voice get sleepier and more lethargic.

“Yeah.” Yo says quietly.

“Huh…” Yoshiko yawns. “Is it Kanan?”

“She _is_ hot, but…” Yo chuckles, “I’m pretty sure Mari would skin me.” She pauses for a moment before looking up at the bed. “Hey, Yoshiko?”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to go to the beach together tomorrow?”

Yoshiko yawns sleepily. “Sure…”

Soon enough her breathing slows to an even rhythm, and Yo’s reasonably sure that Yoshiko’s actually gone to sleep this time.

“Goodnight, Yoshiko.” Yo murmurs as she settles in for the night.

  


**Day 3: Umi dah! (The obligatory beach episode)**

“I didn’t agree to this.”

“You did.”

“I didn’t!” Yoshiko glares at Yo as she desperately hides beneath what little cover her sunshade provides.

Golden sand surrounds her, glittering in the sun. Gentle waves lap at the shore, breaking into gurgling white surf before drawing back into the ocean. A warm sea-breeze blows across the idyllic Uchiura beach. Yoshiko _hates_ it.

“Last night I asked if you wanted to go to the beach, and you totally said yes.” Yo says. Her arms are crossed in front of her chest, and she wears a patient smirk on her face.

“I was compromised! My decision should be revoked,” Yoshiko glowers at Yo. “You tricked me. Lured me into imbibing to weaken my will!”

“You _also_ agreed to that.”

“Vile temptress, speak not of the past!” Yoshiko huffs and crosses her arms, looking away from Yo. “Can we go now?”

“Come on, Yoshiko, don’t be that way,” Yo says, crouching down next to Yoshiko. “I even picked out my swimsuit so we matched!”

Yoshiko glances at Yo. It’s true - Yoshiko has a matching black bikini top and bottom, and she’s wearing a purple hoodie on top because God knows she goes red like a prawn if even a bit of sun gets to her. Yo, meanwhile, is wearing a white bikini top and bottom, the bottom sporting a frilly edge that hangs down a little like a skirt. She even has a pastel blue hoodie on, just like Yoshiko.

“Ugh, that’s so over the top…” Yoshiko mumbles, while a blush still spreads across her cheeks. She’s not going to admit it but Yo looks _really_ good. The swimsuit leaves nothing to the imagination, and Yoshiko can see every toned line on her body. Stupid Yo, all buff and distracting and stuff.

The fact that Yo deliberately picked their swimsuits to match also makes her feel warm and tingly on the inside, but again, she’d sooner die than admit it.

She’s already said enough embarrassing stuff last night when she got drunk, she doesn’t need to say any more.

“Really? _You_ ’re complaining about someone being over the top?” Yo says incredulously.

“Shush! Anyway, you _know_ I’m not an outdoor person,” Yoshiko says, sulking. “I don’t see the point of this. Sand just gets everywhere and you’re destined to dehydrate and die somewhere out in that unforgiving sea.”

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration…” Yo sighs. “Come on. What do I have to say to convince you that the beach is fun?”

“There’s nothing. The beach is _not_ fun.”

“Yoshiko…”

“It’s not! Don’t look at me like that!” Yoshiko looks away from Yo as Yo fixed her with a pair of sad puppy dog eyes. Yo’s not particularly _cute_ , not in the way Ruby is or Hanamaru is, but it’s nevertheless enough to make Yoshiko’s cheeks heat up and her heart skip a beat or two. “The beach is _dumb_. Anyone who likes the beach is dumb too.”

“Y’know, that includes me too,” Yo says, looking around. Being prime beach season, there are a few tourists enjoying their time on the beach as well, and at Yoshiko’s loud outburst they start to look over curiously. Yo sighs and crouches down next to Yoshiko, gently nudging her shoulder.

“I suggested the beach because I thought maybe it would be a chance to have fun. Kanan and Chika and I used to go here all the time, and we had a ton of fun. And wasn’t helping Chika run the stall fun as well?”

“…I guess,” Yoshiko admits. “But that’s because I wasn’t _actually_ doing beach stuff. I was cooking.”

She turns over to look at Yo. “Look, Yo, I appreciate that you set this up but… the beach just really isn’t my thing, you know?”

Yo breathes out slowly. “I just wanted us to make some memories together this summer… Kanan, Chika and I spent our whole lives around here, so this beach is kind of special to me. There’s the time with the Aqours summer training thing as well. There’s so many memories I have of this place, I just wanted to share those memories with you.”

But then Yo sighs, and leans down to pat Yoshiko on the back. “But I guess there are other ways of making memories. I just went with what I thought would be fun…” She nods, and sits down next to Yoshiko. “Alright, I hear you. Let’s pack up and figure out what to do with the rest of the day. Sorry for dragging you out here, I guess I got over excited about this,” she says apologetically.

Yoshiko suddenly feels a twisting feeling in her gut. Stupid Yo sounding all sad and disappointed and stuff. Making Yoshiko _feel_ things.

…And, Yoshiko can kind of understand where Yo is coming from. It’s Yo’s hometown, after all, it’s only natural she’d be excited sharing it with someone else.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Yoshiko makes her decision.

“What’s with that sappy memory stuff? You sound more and more like Chika with every passing day…” Yoshiko eventually grumbles, and turns around to glare at Yo. “ _Fine_. I’ll play on your dumb beach.”

“Really?” Yo looks up, suddenly brightening up.

“Yes. Now let’s go before I change my mind.” Yoshiko rolls her eyes.

“Thank you! I promise, it’ll be worth it!” Yo smiles, shrugs off her hoodie, and suddenly grabs Yoshiko’s hand (much to Yoshiko’s dismay), pulling Yoshiko along towards the water. “Come on, the day is still young! Full speed ahead, _Yoshiko~!”_

“It’s _Yohane_ \- Gah! The water is _freezing_!” Yoshiko only just manages to throw off her hoodie before she’s dragged into the water. She yelps as her toes touch the surf. Compared to the sun-baked sand, the water is positively frigid, but somehow Yo seems entirely unfazed as she ventures deeper into the sea and allows the waves to overtake her. Yoshiko watches as she dives headfirst into an oncoming wave, emerging a few seconds later in a spray of water. She whips her hair back, facing the sun with her eyes closed as she takes a deep breath.

“Just dive in,” Yo eventually turns to Yoshiko, grinning widely. Her hair is stuck to her face, and her skin glistens with droplets of water. She’s positively glowing. “It’ll cool you down.”

“Hypothermia. Lovely,” Yoshiko says dryly, but she obliges, tentatively dipping herself into the water. It’s chilly at first, but under the sun’s rays Yoshiko quickly warms up. Yo’s right - it’s kind of pleasantly cool, and refreshing. Still she shivers a little, and lifts herself back up above the surface for a moment.

“What’s wrong?” Yo asks, tilting her head.

“Nothing, it’s just…” Yoshiko breathes out. “I was surprised by how cold the water is.”

“It’ll get better once you start moving,” Yo says, winking. “If you catch my drift.”

Yoshiko rolls her eyes. “Ha ha, very funny.”

Yo grins, but she doesn’t respond, instead she dips both hands beneath the waves, and pushes towards Yoshiko, making a huge wave that splashes into the younger girl while she’s still trying to acclimatize to the temperature. Caught off guard, Yoshiko lets out a shriek as she falls backwards, into the surf.

“Yo!” The water’s not deep at all; even while Yoshiko is down on her butt it only comes up to her chest, but she still glares at Yo with a disgruntled expression. Yo giggles, and Yoshiko narrows her eyes. “It’s not funny.”

“It’s a _little_ funny,” Yo says, offering a hand to help Yoshiko up.

Yoshiko stares at the hand for a moment, before she sighs, and takes it.

Then promptly pulls Yo down as well, causing her to fall face-first into the water. While Yo splutters and tries to get the salt out of her eyes, Yoshiko laughs gleefully. “I suppose it _is_ a little funny.”

“Jerk,” Yo says, though she doesn’t sound too annoyed. “Though I guess I had it coming.”

“A fallen angel always returns her debts,” Yoshiko smiles toothily.

Yo narrows her eyes, and a smirk spreads across her face as she prepares another attack.

* * * * *

“It’s over, Yoshiko! I have the high ground!”

Yo spreads her arms out, looking down at Yoshiko from the rock she’s standing on. She can feel the wind buffeting her, blowing her hair back dramatically.

Yoshiko narrows her eyes, levelling her water gun at Yo. The skies seem to darken as she intones, menacingly, “You underestimate my power.”

“Don’t try it,” Yo warns, even as she watches Yoshiko aim the water gun straight at her head, and start to squeeze the trigger.

Without missing a beat, Yo turns around, and grabbing the bucket that she’s been keeping hidden behind her, she dumps the watery contents of the bucket down onto Yoshiko before she can fire. Yoshiko’s eyes widen at the mass of water coming her way, but there’s nothing she can do except squeeze her eyes shut as a bucketful of water is dumped on her.

* * * * *

“Yo! There’s something on my leg!” Yoshiko squeals suddenly, thrashing as she looks to Yo for help.

Yo pokes her head out of the water. “What?”

“I can feel something on my leg! It’s moving! I- I’d forgotten to set up defences beforehand!”

“Does it hurt?” Yo asks, mildly concerned. “What does it feel like?”

Yoshiko screws her eyes tight, trying to focus. “It’s uh, uhh, it’s squirming, erm, wet - undulating… some manner of, slime-coated serpent…”

Her eyes flash open. “Oh Gods it’s the Midgard Serpent! Jormundgandr has come! I’m done for! Run, Yo! Run for your life! I’ll hold it off!”

Yo rolls her eyes and wades over, patting Yoshiko on the back. “Come on, don’t be a baby. You’re mucking up the water, keep still and I’ll take a look.”

Yoshiko holds completely still, even holding her breath as Yo dips her head underwater. She can feel Yo’s fingers brush up against her leg, and she squirms slightly, trying hard not to freak out. A few moments later Yo’s head bobs back up to the surface, and she grins at Yoshiko.

“Well, you’re not _wrong_ …” Yo says slowly, her hands still underwater.

“Wrong about what?” Yoshiko squeaks, relaxing as she feels the squirming around her leg cease. “Yo?”

“Here’s your Migard Serpent,” Yo chuckles, lifting a wad of _something_ out of the water.

Said something is a toy rubber snake wrapped up in slimy seaweed. The snake has its tongue out, lolling to one side, and its eyes are derped.

“I…” Yoshiko stares at it for a moment before swatting it out of Yo’s hand. “It must have substituted a decoy out at the last minute! There’s no way a toy like that could scare me.”

“Sure, sure.” Yo laughs, and pretends not to notice when Yoshiko goes looking for the snake again.

* * * * *

“Hey, Yo.”

“What?”

“You’ve got a shell in your hair.”

“Help me pick it out?”

“Sure.”

* * * * *

Eventually, Yoshiko finds herself dozing off as she lounges under the sunshade, the warm afternoon breeze lulling her into a lazy stupor. The waves lap gently against the shore, and there’s just a lazy murmur of activity from the other beach-goers around her.

“Hey.”

She opens one eye at Yo’s voice as she comes back from her ice cream run. A small smile finds its way onto Yoshiko’s face as she sits up with some effort, giving Yo a lazy wave. Yo smiles softly as she sits down next to Yoshiko, gingerly passing one of the ice creams in her hand over to Yoshiko.

“Tired?” She asks, her voice slightly scratchy from accidentally drinking salt water numerous times throughout the day.

Yoshiko shrugs. “A little,” she admits, as she takes her first lick of the ice cream. She asked for strawberry, of course. It’s good, and the cold spreads out in her mouth. “Aside of practice I have little cause to exert myself.”

“Hm. You should exercise more,” Yo comments idly. She pauses for a moment before hastily amending, “Not that there’s anything wrong with you now! You’re perfect just the way you are.”

Yoshiko blushes, and tries not to choke. “Wow. Thanks.”

“I, er…” Yo shakes her head. She’s getting flustered over nothing. “Yeah,” She finishes lamely. “Work out. And stuff.”

Yoshiko snorts. “Work out and stuff,” She repeats.

“What? Exercise is fun! Y’know, lift some weights, run a little,” Yo argues.

“You’re such a jock,” Yoshiko shakes her head. “No wonderyou like the beach so much.”

“You didn’t like it?” Yo asks, suddenly nervous. Yoshiko remembers Yo’s promise that the beach day would be fun. Does she still feel bad for bringing Yoshiko out here?

“No! No,” Yoshiko says quickly. “It was… fun. I guess. Not my usual kind of entertainment, but I guess this is fun once in a while.”

Yo breathes out a sigh of relief. “Oh, good. I was worried that you weren’t enjoying yourself, that’s good to hear…”

There’s a lull in the conversation as she just nods awkwardly and enjoys her ice cream. The sand is warm between her toes, and she wriggles them around, digging them into the sand.

“Say, Yoshiko…”

“Yohane.”

“…Yohane…” Yo corrects. She licks her lips to wet them, and continues, “Do you mind coming with me for a moment? I want to show you something.”

“Show me what?” Yoshiko asks. “Go where?”

“It’s a secret,” Yo says. “But you’ll like it. Probably. It’s a little out of the way. Away from the public beach. I promise it’s going to be cool.”

Yoshiko thinks about it for a while.

“So, you’re going to show me something _secret_ that I’ll probably like. Away from the crowd. In private, in other words.” Yoshiko raises an eyebrow meaningfully. “What _exactly_ do you plan on showing me?”

Yoshiko relishes the victory as Yo goes bright red. “It’s- It’s nothing like that, I swear! There’s just this thing I want to show you, it’s not weird, I promise!”

Grinning, Yoshiko laughs and sits up, languidly stretching her arms and back. “I know, I know. It’s just payback for tempting me to drink,” She says mirthfully. “So where’s this thing you want to show me?”

Yo blinks, and it takes a second for her to regain her composure. “Hey! I stand by my words that you _willingly_ drank that,” She says insistently, before putting on the sandals she came to the beach in and gesturing for Yoshiko to do the same. “We’re going to go over the rocks so you should put on your shoes.”

“Rocks?” Yoshiko raises an eyebrow again, but obediently puts on her shoes.

“Yeah.” Yo fishes something out of her bag and slips it into her hoodie pocket, too quick for Yoshiko to spot what. “Come on. I told the nice lady over there to watch our stuff.”

Yoshiko glances at the nice lady, who gives them a smile and a wave.

“Your faith in humanity never ceases to amaze me,” Yoshiko murmurs, as she follows Yo towards the rocky shoreline.

* * * * *

Going past the strip of beach that’s been cleared and developed for tourist use, Yo and Yoshiko venture into the rocky crags that make up the bulk of Uchiura’s shoreline. Unlike the golden sands, the jagged and unstable rocks make for a much more difficult passing, and more than once Yoshiko almost trips and barely avoids destroying her knees over the rocks.

“Are we there yet?” Yoshiko asks Yo, who’s deftly clambered up to a tall rock using a few foot- and hand-holds.

Yo glances behind the rock, before looking down at Yoshiko. “Yeah,” She nods, and reaches out a hand. “Come up here.”

Yoshiko reaches up and takes her hand, trying her best to replicate Yo’s path as she scrambles up the rock, though she does it considerably less gracefully. Yo helps by pulling her up, and with a big heave Yoshiko manages to scramble up to the top with Yo.

“So,” Yoshiko says breathlessly, “Where is this thing?”

Yo smiles, and gestures below them, on the other side of the crag they’re standing on. Yoshiko looks, and she breathes in sharply as she lays eyes upon the sight of an abandoned sailboat, sitting quietly in a sandy cove, sheltered from bad weather by the cliff faces surrounding it.

It’s not particularly spectacular; about six meters from bow to stern, more or less your standard wooden sailboat. The mast has snapped, the broken off pole embedded in the rocky sand beside the boat. Barnacles and moss has taken over most of the boat’s surface. It looks maybe a decade or so old - it doesn’t look old-fashioned, per se, but there’s an aged feeling about it that tells Yoshiko the wreckage has seen the passage of many years.

“Wow,” Yoshiko murmurs. “You don’t see _that_ everyday.”

“Right? Most wreckages get recycled by the locals quickly, but this one’s out of the way, and the tourist beach takes most of the attention away, so it’s just been sitting here,” Yo explains.

“So, how did you find it then?” Yoshiko asks, curious.

“There’s a bit of a story to that, actually,” Yo says, smiling softly. She turns to Yoshiko and gestures down at the boat. “Come on, let’s get down there. I want to show you something.”

She clambers down from the rock with practiced ease, but Yoshiko has a little trouble with getting down without hurting herself. Yo watches as she tries to find a foothold and fail miserably at doing so. “Do you need a hand?” Yo asks.

“I’m, uh…” Yoshiko looks down. “…Yeah, I could use a little help.”

“Jump,” Yo says quickly. She holds her arms out. “I’ll catch you,” She promises with a sly grin on her face.

Yoshiko’s face goes red. “A-Are you crazy? What if you drop me? The rocks will eviscerate me!”

“It’s mostly sand down here,” Yo says, before she makes a show of flexing. “And I’m not gonna drop you. Trust me.”

Yoshiko looks at her doubtfully, but as Yo smiles and holds her arms out again, she takes a deep breath and throws caution to the wind, stepping forward and falling right off the rock. Moments later she feels her fall be broken as Yo slips under her, catching her back with one arm and her legs with the other.

“Ooff,” Yo grunts from the strain, and she adjusts her posture to accommodate Yoshiko’s weight. “There we go. Wasn’t that hard, was it?”

Yoshiko blushes. Yo doesn’t seem to realize - or at least doesn’t seem bothered by - the fact that she currently has Yoshiko in a classic bridal carry. Yoshiko, however, does. “P-Put me down!” She squawks, her heart fluttering at their proximity. She’s been distracted by how much fun she’s been having, but now that she’s had time to cool down she’s reminded of how attractive Yo is again.

Stupid attractive Yo.

Yo grins, and gently lets Yoshiko down. “It worked though, didn’t it? I didn’t drop you.”

“Whatever…” Yoshiko mumbles, as she stands back up. “What’s the story behind the boat? You still haven’t said.”

Yo nods, and gestures for Yoshiko to follow her lead as she walks over to the boat. She looks it over for a moment, before a wide smile spreads across her face as she points at a particular part of the ship’s hull.

“What is it?” Yoshiko peers at the wooden panels - surprisingly it’s not rotted, must be the salt in the water - but they look on first glance just like regular boat hull. When she looks closer, though, under some of the algae and barnacles appear to be letters, carved into the wood with shaky hands.

“Chika + Kanan + Yo.” Yoshiko reads out loud, before turning to Yo. “Did you put this here?”

Yo smiles and nods. “Yup. The three of us found this place. As I said before, there’s a funny story behind this, actually.” Yo’s voice is laced with nostalgia, and Yoshiko finds herself quietly watching Yo intently as she walks up to the wrecked boat, placing a hand on the salt-baked wood.

“We were… well, Chika and I were probably eight or nine, and Kanan was supposed to be keeping an eye on us,” Yo laughs. Yoshiko looks at her questioningly, and Yo smirks. “She’s our dad now, but before she was really more like an older, buffer Chika.”

“No,” Yoshiko breathes, and Yo just grins and nods. “Yeah, swear on my life. Girl was crazy back then. Anyway, we were hanging out on the beach, and Kanan brought some boogie boards from the shop, so we were just board surfing and messing around. Then, out of the blue, this rip current just came and dragged Chika out into the sea before we could even do anything.”

“God,” Yoshiko winces. “Was she okay?”

“Oh, yeah. Kanan and I were tearing our hair out when there she was, climbing over a rock and waving at us, telling us that she’d found something amazing,” Yo laughs. “Classic Chika, right? And she led us right to this ship. We were eight year-olds, so this was like the coolest thing ever. This was our, y’know, our secret hideout for a while. Kanan brought in a knife one day and we carved our names in here.”

Yoshiko squints at the carvings, and sure enough, there’s a little bit of variance in the writing of each name.

“We had some really fun times here,” Yo murmurs wistfully. “Sometimes I wish those times would come back.” She shakes her head. “But of course that’s not really possible, is it?”

Yoshiko feels a tightness in her chest. Without meaning to, she blurts out, “Would you be happier if Chika or Kanan was here instead?”

For just a moment, even if it was just a moment, Yoshiko felt a flash of jealousy in her heart, and that feeling makes her hate herself. Before she can apologize and maybe run away and never look Yo in the eye again, though, Yo surprises her by walking over and grabbing Yoshiko’s hand, cutting off her avenue of escape.

“Do you honestly think I could feel like that, Yoshiko?” Yo asks sternly. Yoshiko squirms and looks away, unable to answer. “Do you _honestly_ think that after all the effort I went through to set today up, I’d want anyone else here but you?”

Yoshiko’s heartbeat stutters for a moment, and she looks up at Yo.

Yo sighs and gives Yoshiko a small smile. “My memories of when we were kids are important, sure, but that’s in the past, isn’t it? Do you remember what I told you this morning? About why I chose this beach?”

“You…” Yoshiko thinks for a second. “You wanted to share memories… with me…”

“That’s right,” Yo says, squeezing Yoshiko’s hand for emphasis. “ _You’re_ the star of the show. I’ve spent a lot of time with Chika and Kanan already. Now I want to spend more time with _you_. Got it?”

Yoshiko nods mutely, mostly just because she’s sure she’d embarrass herself if she were to speak.

Yo nods, and reaches into her hoodie pocket to fish out a swiss army knife. “Good,” She says. She turns to the boat, and in big spiky letters, she carves in: YO + YOSHIKO 4EVR. “There. Now we won’t ever forget we spent this day together.”

Yoshiko’s face goes bright red, probably her ears as well, but still she snatches the knife from Yo and corrects the carving: YO + YOSHIKOHANE 4EVR

“You spelled it wrong,” Yoshiko says stiffly.

Yo stares at Yoshiko for a moment, then at the carving, then back at Yoshiko. Yoshiko shuffles her feet for a moment before admitting, almost shyly, “…I want to spend more time with you, too.”

There’s a pause after Yoshiko says that where Yo just looks at Yoshiko, before she grins and pulls Yoshiko into a bone-crushing hug that squeezes the wind out of Yoshiko’s lungs. “God, you’re so cute! Why haven’t I done this earlier? Come on, let’s hit the surf again! The sun’s not down yet!”

She laughs, a sound like bells and chimes and other happy things, and drags Yoshiko back towards the beach. Yoshiko lets herself be towed along, partially because Yo is flat out stronger than her, but partially because she’s too busy replaying a thought over and over in her mind:

_Yo thinks I’m cute?_

  


**Day 5: We skipped Day 4 because it’s more of the same (Time to say Goodbye)**

Yoshiko yawns, lifting her head blearily as she looks around the room. Yo is already gone, but her bed is still warm, and she can hear activity downstairs. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Yoshiko shuffles downstairs, stretching her arms languidly as she stumbles into the kitchen.

“Yo?” She asks, sleepily.

Yo turns around; she’s wearing an apron and seems to be making breakfast. “Oh! You’re up early today,” she says, giving Yoshiko a warm smile. “Good morning, Yoshiko.”

“Morning,” Yoshiko mumbles, before tiredly commenting, “And it’s Yohane.”

“Right, of course.” Yo says diplomatically. She turns back to the cooking, flipping an egg over. It smells good, and the nice aroma starts to wake Yoshiko up.

“So,” Yo asks idly, as she moves the egg over to a plate. “What’s up? You don’t normally wake up this early, do you?”

Yoshiko shakes her head, yawning hugely before answering: “Since it’s, uh, the last day I’m staying here…” She taps her foot awkwardly for a moment. “I’d like to go on your run with you?”

Yo pauses in her cooking for a moment, before she turns to smile at Yoshiko. “Sure. Sit down, I’ll fry you an egg, too.”

* * * * *

The morning air is crisp and cool. It’s about 6:30 and the sun has only begun to rise, and Yo already has to double back every five seconds or so to make sure she’s not leaving Yoshiko too far behind.

“Are you okay?” Yo asks, only a little bit concerned. Yoshiko glares at her, and Yo smirks. There’s sweat beaded on Yoshiko’s forehead, and her breathing is heavy and laboured. “Do you want to take a break?”

“Do you do this… every… day?” Yoshiko wheezes, as she stumbles up the countless steps that wind through the hills around Uchiura. She had no idea there are that many steps in the _whole world_ , let alone Uchiura.

Even with her fitness being built up somewhat through Aqours, this is still a horrendous workout.

“Well, if I can help it,” Yo says cheerily, jogging on the spot as she waits for Yoshiko to catch up.

“And Kanan does this as well?” Yoshiko gapes, finally making it to the step beneath Yo’s. She pauses to catch her breath, but lets out a distressed whine when Yo immediately sets off again.

“Kanan’s circuit is even longer,” Yo says, grinning a little at Yoshiko’s plight. It’s a little fun to bully Yoshiko, just a little bit. “Would you like to try that one?”

Yoshiko’s face pales, and she shakes her head insistently. “Nope. I’m good.”

Yo laughs, and slows a little so she’s beside Yoshiko instead of in front of her. “Do you want me to slow down?” She asks.

Yoshiko shakes her head stubbornly. Yo raises her eyebrow, and pokes Yoshiko lightly in the side. Yoshiko tilts dangerously, only righting herself at the last second.

“Yeah, we’re stopping,” Yo decides, slowing her pace to a walk. Pausing at a viewing balcony overlooking the whole town and the bay, Yo smiles and gestures at the view. “Hey, Yoshiko. Take a look at this.”

Yoshiko stumbles up beside her, leaning heavily against the fencing. “It’s Yohane— …Whoa.” Her protest dies in her throat as she gazes upon the scene before her.

The sun rises slowly over Uchiura, bathing the small town in a gentle golden light. The rooftops glow in the pale morning, and the trees sway in the sea-breeze, casting faint dappled shadows across the streets. The ocean almost glitters, flecks of gold and silver flashing amidst the quiet black water. Faint bird songs echo through the air, and a sweet tangerine scent lingers in the air.

“Wow,” Yoshiko breathes. Uchiura is nice and all, but this is the first time that Yoshiko so strongly feels that it’s a _good_ place.

Suddenly Yoshiko understands why Yo and Chika and all the others are fighting so hard for it.

“It’s a good place to call home,” Yo says softly, and Yoshiko looks up because _did she just read her mind?_

Yo laughs at Yoshiko’s expression. “No, I didn’t. It’s just what I thought the first time I took this route.” She smiles, and points. “See? That’s the beach. And if you look closely you can just barely see the cove where the wreck is.”

Yoshiko looks, and true enough, she can see the path they took to get to the little cove. “Huh.”

“When you live here for long enough, all these things just start popping out to you,” Yo explains. She continues to point out a list of seemingly random landmarks. “Places that are important not because of what they are, but who you were there _with_. That’s where Chika broke her leg and Kanan and I had to carry her to the clinic. That’s where Kanan tried to ride the angry dog and got bit. So on, so on.”

She lifts her head, and smiles apologetically at Yoshiko. “Sorry, I must be boring you. You’ve caught your breath, right? Let’s get moving then.”

* * * * *

Eventually the two of them leave the hills area, and come back into town. They’re not jogging anymore - Yoshiko is pretty exhausted, and even Yo is a little out of breath after the long run. They wander the streets, admiring the scenery of an early-morning Uchiura. Most of the shops aren’t even open yet, except for the 24/7 convenience store staffed by one of the third years that Yoshiko sees around school sometimes.

“Thank you, come again!”

Eventually they give in to their urges and each buy a drink —Yoshiko gets a Pepsi™, and Yo gets some kind of obscure off-brand energy drink — before they resume their wandering through the town.

“It’s a humble place, but it’s really pretty, isn’t it?” Yo says suddenly.

Yoshiko glances at Yo, considering her words for a moment. “…I suppose. It’s nothing compared to Elysium, but for a mortal township…”

 _Humble, but pretty._ Sounds like a certain girl Yoshiko knows.

She blushes, trying to not think about that. It’s embarrassing, plus Yo’s clearly not in that kind of mood right now.

“Hey, look! A playground!” Yo suddenly points out, gesturing a small play park nestled between two buildings. “Let’s go there!”

“N-No self-respecting fallen angel would ever—” Yoshiko tries to argue, before she’s dragged along by Yo towards the playground.

It’s not a very big playground, with only a small climbing frame, a short slide, and a set of low swings. There’s the remains of what may have been a see-saw that’s seen one too many children cordoned off in the corner too. Yo immediately homes in on the climbing frame, agilely flipping her way up the bars onto the top platform with a wide grin.

“Come on, Yoshiko! Join me up on top of the world!” Yo proclaims, grinning happily. She’s really enjoying herself.

Yoshiko hesitates as she looks up at the climbing frame. It’s okay if someone else tells her to, right? It’s not childish if you’re a bunch of teenagers hanging out?

Yo shifts over a little bit, making space for Yoshiko to sit, and pats the space welcomingly. “Come on,” She smiles at Yoshiko, and it’s a little too bright to look straight at.

“F-Fine,” Yoshiko says, looking around to make sure there’s no one to witness her, a great fallen angel, playing on a children’s climbing frame before climbing her way up to where Yo is. “Happy?”

“Very,” Yo grins toothily at her, before turning to face the rising sun with her eyes closed. “Hey Yoshiko, try closing your eyes for a moment.”

“Why?” Yoshiko asks doubtfully.

“Just do it,” Yo urges. Yoshiko sighs, and obliges, closing her eyes.

“What do you feel?”

Even through her eyelids she can just make out the glow of the sun, and definitely feel the warmth on her cheeks. She can feel a light breeze in the air, hear the muted activity starting up all around the town as the citizens begin to awaken.

Then she feels something touch her hand. Something warm and soft interlace her fingers. Her cheeks go bright red as her mind goes to the most likely explanation - Yo? Um, why is Yo holding her hand? _Hello?!_

Yoshiko goes to open her eyes, but Yo speaks before she can do so. “Keep your eyes closed,” She instructs.

Yoshiko swallows nervously, but keeps her eyes shut.

She can hear her own heartbeat roaring in her ears, and she’s _painfully_ aware of how sweaty she is. She can hear Yo moving, but she has no idea what Yo is doing. After what seems like an eternity of absolutely _nothing_ happening, Yoshiko suddenly _feels something warm brush against her lips._

Yoshiko lets out a strangled yelp like a dying cat and falls backwards in surprise, almost falling straight off of the climbing frame if she didn’t grab a strip of railing at the last moment - also she’s still holding Yo’s hand. She opens her eyes, her cheeks completely red as she tries to figure out what _exactly_ just happened.

Yo is barely stifling her laughter, wiggling her thumb at Yoshiko. Yoshiko stares at the thumb for a moment, then she brushes her lips with her own thumb. Her eyes widen, and she somehow goes even redder, the blush spreading past her cheeks to her neck and ears.

“Yo! That’s not funny!” Yoshiko squawks, feeling at once relieved and betrayed. She totally wasn’t hoping that Yo had actually kissed her, not at all. Nope.

“It’s—” Yo chokes. “It’s a _little_ funny.”

“No! It wasn’t!” Yoshiko says hotly, crossing her arms and looking away from Yo. She’s not mad, she’s just annoyed. Yo’s dumb.

“Aw, Yoshiko, come on. Don’t be that way,” Yo says, scratching the back of her head. “I’m sorry for messing with you, okay?”

“It’s too late. You’ve irrevocably lost the trust of this fallen angel,” Yoshiko says huffily, continuing to have her back to Yo.

“Yoshiko…” Yo sighs. She thinks for a moment, before offering: “How about this? You know about the fireworks festival coming up? How about we go together, and I treat you to anything you want to eat while we’re there?”

Yoshiko pauses, turning to look suspiciously at Yo. “Are you offering an all-you-can eat experience? Really?”

“Yeah! We can go together, have some fun, and have some good food. There’ll be fireworks, too. It’ll be great!” Yo smiles.

“I’ll hold you to that promise, then.” Yoshiko says, already imagining the bounty she can rake in.

“Cool! I’ll text you the details later? Figure out where we meet and stuff?” Yo asks.

“Yeah, okay.”

“It’s a date, then!” Yo smiles widely.

“It’s a—”

Yoshiko’s cheeks pale at the realization of what she’s signed herself up to.

  


**Day 6: Girl Talk (The Squad is back together)**

Yoshiko waits impatiently at _Cafe Coco_ , one of her favourite cafes in Numazu. It’s quiet and out of the way, but the drinks are good, and most important of all the baristas don’t seem to care too much about her outfits.

She looks down at her phone. They’re late. Yoshiko tries not to feel impatient.

“Sorry, Yoshiko! We got caught up with something…”

Yoshiko looks up, and sees Ruby and Hanamaru totter over. Hanamaru already has an armful of miscellaneous junk she must’ve picked up from stalls and shops on the way to the cafe. Yoshiko sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose for a moment before gesturing for them to sit down. “Sit,” She says, pushing a menu towards them.

Yoshiko already ordered a chocolate milkshake, and Ruby and Hanamaru quickly make their orders as well.

“So, how did your honeymoon go?” Yoshiko asks, as soon as the pretty waitress makes her leave. Ruby immediately goes bright red, and Hanamaru raises an eyebrow.

“It was fun, zura,” Hanamaru says, and Ruby looks at Hanamaru in horror.

“It wasn’t a honeymoon!” She squeaks, “Dia and Mom and Dad were there!”

“Oh, right.” Yoshiko smirks as she swirls her milkshake around. “You met the parents. How was it, Hanamaru? Did Dad Kurosawa point a harpoon at you and challenge you to honourable combat for the hand of his daughter?”

“He did!” Hanamaru says, and Ruby just stares at her like she’s been gravely betrayed.

“Did you win?” Yoshiko asks, feigning interest.

“I did, zura! We’re getting married in a fortnight!” Hanamaru says, pulling Ruby close, whose cheeks are almost as red as her hair.

“Congratulations!” Yoshiko claps, maybe a little too loudly.

“Guys…” Ruby whimpers, burying her face into the cute hoodie she’s wearing. She looks like she’s trying to disappear into herself, and Yoshiko can’t find it in herself to keep teasing her.

“We were just teasing, zura,” Hanamaru says apologetically, nuzzling Ruby fondly.

“You can take a drink of my milkshake if you want,” Yoshiko slides the drink over, and Ruby reluctantly accepts the peace offering.

“So,” Yoshiko continues, as the drink gets passed to Hanamaru as well. “How did the trip actually go? I trust my little demons behaved themselves?”

Hanamaru rolls her eyes a little, though she still smiles at Yoshiko’s phrasing. “We didn’t cause any trouble, if that’s what you’re asking, zura.”

Ruby nods as well. “We didn’t want to annoy Dia, so we were on our best behaviour…”

“Well, I meant more…” Yoshiko makes a lewd gesture, and both Hanamaru and Ruby blush this time. Neither of them speak for a moment, and Yoshiko gasps. “No. _Really?_ ”

“M-Moving on!” Ruby says, slapping the table with uncharacteristic force. “H-How was your holiday, Yoshiko?”

Yoshiko wants to keep digging, but then she could also scare off Ruby, or annoy them or something.

“It was… alright,” Yoshiko says, offhandedly.

“Alright?” Hanamaru asks, curious. “How was living with Yo?”

“Yo was… nice,” Yoshiko says, surreptitiously avoiding eye contact with Hanamaru. She knows, much to her chagrin, that Hanamaru can read her like an open book.

Hanamaru exchanges a look with Ruby, and they do that annoying couple thing where they communicate telepathically. Hanamaru leans forward. “Did you do anything in particular?”

“We did,” Yoshiko says. “We went shopping. Watched a few movies. Went to the beach. We’re gonna go to the fireworks festival—” Yoshiko stops but the damage is done, Hanamaru has already heard the last part.

“Fireworks festival, zura?” Hanamaru suddenly has a sly grin on her face, and Yoshiko gets the distinct feeling that the tables have been turned, and the hunter has become the hunted. “Just you and Yo? Alone? Together?”

Yoshiko feels a chill go down her spine. “Uh, you see, there was this thing, so…” She shakes her head, trying to regain the initiative. “It doesn’t matter! It- it- it’s just a thing!”

“Is it a _date~?_ ” Hanamaru asks teasingly.

“It’s not a d-d-d—” Yoshiko stammers, before she’s interrupted quietly by Ruby, who’s looking at her not teasingly like Hanamaru, but with genuine curiosity.

“Yoshiko…” Ruby asks, tapping her fingers together awkwardly. “Do you… like, Yo?”

Yoshiko freezes like a deer in the headlights.

A few seconds later she slumps, covering her face with her hands so her friends can’t see the blush of her face. Fallen angels don’t blush, that’s ridiculous. “…Yes,” She admits.

“Are you two dating?” Ruby presses gently.

“…No.”

“Do you want to be dating Yo?”

Yoshiko breathes out for a moment. “Yes,” She says, her voice barely louder than Ruby’s.

Ruby sighs, perhaps in relief, and exchanges another glance with Hanamaru.

“We’re happy you’ve found someone for you, zura.” Hanamaru says. Ruby nods. “We were worried that maybe you felt left out because we sometimes want alone time…”

“So…” Hanamaru looks curiously at Yoshiko. “Are you going to do anything about your crush?”

“It’s not a crush!” Yoshiko protests, before she shrinks back again. “And… I’m thinking… I’ll confess at the festival…”

Ruby gasps, clapping excitedly at the idea. “Oh, that’s so romantic!”

Yoshiko blushes, sinking lower into her chair. It’s _so_ clichéd. It’s like something out of a dumb romcom anime.

“I’m glad you like it…” Yoshiko mumbles.

Ruby and Hanamaru’s drinks arrive.

“So, you’ve got to wear your yukata, right?” Ruby asks excitedly.

Yoshiko stops again, trying to imagine herself in a proper yukata, not an outfit like the one in Mijuku Dreamer but a real yukata. She then imagines herself wearing a yukata in front of Yo.

“Oh Gods no that’s not happening.”

“You have to! You’ll look so pretty…” Ruby says, sounding a little dejected at Yoshiko’s refusal. “Don’t you want to look pretty in front of Yo?”

“Mhgh…” Yoshiko grunts, though she secretly agrees with Ruby. “I’ll think about it.”

“We can help you dress up,” Hanamaru offers. “Ruby knows how to put on a yukata, right, zura?”

Ruby nods enthusiastically, and Yoshiko begrudgingly thanks them. Then their conversation turns to less embarrassing topics, and Yoshiko gradually rises back out of her chair to engage in talking about what they’ll do together for the rest of the day.

  


**Day 7: Fireworks in the sky (it’s gay)**

“You look really good, dear,” Yoshiko’s mother says encouragingly.

“T-Thanks, Mom,” Yoshiko says stiffly.

“Are you sure you don’t want to keep the feather?” YoshiMom asks, holding up the black feather that’s omnipresent in Yoshiko’s hair. Yoshiko grimaces, and shakes her head.

“I, uh, I don’t want Yo to think I’m weird…” She mumbles.

“You never worried about that kind of thing before,” YoshiMom frowns, before reaching over and delicately pushing it into Yoshiko’s bun. “Yo won’t mind. Trust me.”

She glances into the back-mirror of the car, and smiles, pushing Yoshiko slightly. “Alright, dear. I’ll be back here to pick you up at nine, alright?” She pauses. “If you want to stay over with Yo, call me an hour beforehand.” She winks.

“M-Mom!” Yoshiko says, aghast, before she’s pushed out of the car and into the cool evening air. Her mother gives Yoshiko a final wave before she drives off, leaving Yoshiko at the foot of the hill where the festivities will take place.

She curses quietly, before she suddenly straightens up when she hears a voice sound behind her.

“Y-Yoshiko?”

Yoshiko turns around, to the sight of Yo standing there, mouth agape as she stares at Yoshiko. Yo is dressed fairly casually, but it’s obvious she put effort into her outfit - she’s wearing a bomber jacket on top of a loose tank top, of course navy-themed, and cropped shorts that aren’t too short, but show just enough leg to be appealing. She’s going for the messy-but-cool look, and it works. Yoshiko blushes.

“Hi, Yo.” Yoshiko waves awkwardly. Yo remembers to close her mouth, and her hand immediately goes to her hair, running her fingers through in an attempt to neaten it up.

“I, uh… oh gee, now I feel underdressed…” Yo mumbles, looking down at herself. She laughs, and looks at Yoshiko. “You look good. You look good in a yukata.”

“T-Thanks,” Yoshiko looks down at herself. She’s wearing a light blue, floral patterned yukata, with a black and white striped belt. Her heart jumps when she realizes their colours match, even though Yoshiko didn’t pick the yukata out on purpose. “You look nice too…”

Yo surprises her by suddenly leaning in. Yoshiko shrinks back, but Yo only smiles and gestures at her hair. “You kept the feather,” She says.

“Um, yeah,” Yoshiko nods dumbly.

“Good. It suits you,” Yo says, before holding out a hand. Yoshiko notices her nails are manicured. Uncharacteristically shyly, Yoshiko takes Yo’s hand, praying to God her palms aren’t sweaty. “Shall we?” Yo asks, gesturing with her head towards the stairs leading up to the festival grounds.

“Sure,” Yoshiko says, not really sure how else to react.

* * * * *

It’s already pretty busy, even though the festival’s only just officially begun. Most of the stalls are already loud and lively, with food stalls cranking out delicious treats and snacks, and game stall owners fending off snotty children whining for another go.

Yoshiko’s been to a few festivals, but she’s never stuck around any of them for long - not when she could run into someone she knew. Looking around, Yoshiko homes in on the candied apples, pointing at them excitedly. “I want one of those! We don’t have those in Hell!”

Yo smiles. “Sure! Excuse me…”

She gets Yoshiko a candied apple, and Yoshiko immediately starts digging in. The syrupy taste is intoxicating, and Yoshiko subconsciously starts smiling to herself.

“Can I try some?” Yo asks. Yoshiko nods, holding the apple up to Yo so she can have a taste.

“Mm,” Yo licks her lips. “That’s pretty good.”

“Isn’t it?” Yoshiko says excitedly.

Yo just laughs and pushes through the crowd so Yoshiko can get to the next stall.

* * * * *

The night goes on. Yo almost gets into a fight because some boys tried to hit on Yoshiko, then she gets called to take over the yakisoba stand for a while because the stall owner’s kid has a stomach cramp and needs to be carted off. Yoshiko fails miserably at most of the games, but it’s okay because Yo wins her a big plushie shark at the shooting booth. Yo keeps getting sidetracked by people asking for her help, and Yoshiko wonders how she deals with being a local celebrity.

Eventually, though, the two of them manage to fight through all three ‘streets’ of the festival grounds, and break away from the crowd, which only gets rowdier as the night goes on. The ‘men of the sea’, as Yo jokingly calls them, now have alcohol in their systems, and even if it’s not the right locale there’s traditional sea shanties being sung, which Yoshiko sometimes catches Yo humming along to.

They wander around the edge of the festivities, holding each other’s hands, chatting amicably and just enjoying the night.

It’s wonderful, and Yoshiko doesn’t want it to ever end.

Suddenly, though, Yo looks down to check her phone clock, before looking over to Yoshiko and grinning. “The fireworks are about to start!.”

“What, really?” Yoshiko looks around. They’re amongst trees, there’s almost no visibility of the sky, pretty much the worst place to be for fireworks.

Noticing Yoshiko’s concern, Yo squeezes her hand in reassurance. “I know a place. If we hurry, we can still get there in time to see the whole thing.”

Yoshiko nods, and they start running, as best they can, with Yo in the lead and Yoshiko following behind her. They skirt around the whole festival grounds, behind the temple hosting the festival, and venture onto a path leading into the woods.

Yoshiko looks around worriedly. “Are you sure this is the right way?” She asks Yo, who turns back to give her a quick nod of assurance.

“Trust me, I’ve been here before. This is the way,” Yo says confidently.

“If you say so,” Yoshiko says. But no sooner does she say it, the string on her sandals comes loose, and she tips forward, only barely caught in time by Yo.

“Whoa! Careful!” Yo says, steadying Yoshiko. “Are you okay? Anything hurt?”

Yoshiko shakes her head. “No, but my sandal’s broken.”

Yo sucks in a breath between her teeth. “That’s a problem…” She looks around for a solution, before eventually seeming to come to a decision. She turns around, and squats down.

“Uh… What?” Yoshiko asks, confused.

“I’ll carry you!” Yo says. “We still have… a couple minutes, we can still make it!”

Yoshiko hesitates for a moment. “Is- Is that really okay? If you got hurt because you were rushing…”

“I’ll be fine. I’m tough, remember?” Yo flashes Yoshiko a confident grin. “Now hop on, we’ll be there in no time.”

Yoshiko bites her lip, before thinking, _what’s the worst that can happen?_ And allows herself to be carried piggy-back by Yo, who quickly starts to make her way through the woods, almost at a run. Yoshiko immediately tightens her grip on Yo, her heart pounding as Yo hurtles forward at a speed that’s _entirely_ unsafe for someone carrying someone else.

It takes a moment for her to realize that Yo is laughing. “What’s so funny?” Yoshiko asks, between nervously clenched teeth.

“This is crazy! I’m carrying a pretty girl, running through a spooky forest, just so we can catch the fireworks!” Yo laughs. “It’s like some kind of dumb summer anime!”

Yoshiko blushes bright red, and buries her face into the back of Yo’s head. “Just focus on not falling over.”

“Yes ma’am,” Yo says. Her hand shifts slightly, like she’s about to salute, but she’s also holding Yoshiko up so she just settles for a nod.

Yoshiko can feel Yo’s heart pounding - is it just from the running? Yoshiko knows for a fact her own heart is hammering just at their proximity.

Soon enough, Yoshiko spots a break in the trees, and Yo heads for it, slowing her run down to a jog, then to a walk as they make it out of the woods. Apparently Yo’s path has led them all the way around the hill in a big circle, so now they’re on an observation deck located right _above_ the festival grounds, but with a much clearer view of the sea where the fireworks will be launched.

Correction: are launched.

An explosion of brilliant red fills the sky as the first shots sail through the air, trails of sparkling crimson scattering from the sky onto the sea below. There’s a loud cheer from the festival goers below, and even Yo joins in as the second shot, this time green, erupts into a flower of glittering colour above head.

Yo lowers herself so Yoshiko can get down, and once she’s ditched her remaining sandal, opting to go barefoot, they hurry over to the edge of the deck and lean against the railings to watch the performance continue to ramp up.

Twin fireworks light up the sky, scattering stars of gold and silver into the night. Sprays of brilliant colours spring up close to the sea, while patterns erupt in the skies above - hearts, stars, flowers, even words. “Uchiura” is spelled out.

Yoshiko tentatively brushes her hand up against Yo’s, though she keeps her eyes on the fireworks. To her relief, Yo reaches out and takes her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

Yoshiko can feel her heart going at a million miles a second. Her chest feels tight, like it’s hard to breathe.

There’s a smattering of applause below them as the final display goes off, a brilliant explosion of three different colours that then further split off into different trails. Cheering, sounds of celebration.

But without the fireworks, everything almost seems deafening to Yoshiko. She turns to glance at Yo, trying to gauge her state of mind. She seems to be gazing out into the night sky, perhaps transfixed by the memory of the fireworks.

Now is the time, right?

Yoshiko’s breathing stops for a moment. It’s always this moment, right? It has to be. Everything is lined up perfectly.

She breathes in deeply, mustering up all the courage in every fibre of her being. She can do this.

“Yo.”

The girl in question starts, and looks over to Yoshiko. Her smile fades when she sees the serious expression on Yoshiko’s face. “What’s up?” She asks, suddenly nervous.

Yoshiko closes her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath to steel her nerves.

“Yo, I—”

There’s suddenly a roar from the crowd below as a surprise finale launches into the sky. Yoshiko feels a sinking feeling in her gut, but she can’t stop it from happening. “—Like you.”

The shot explodes into a million tiny gleaming stars, a thunderous boom drowning out Yoshiko’s words. The noise echoes in Yoshiko’s ears, lingering even as an announcement goes off thanking everyone for coming to the festival. When the ringing finally fades, Yoshiko feels hollowed out.

She doesn’t have it in her to repeat what she said.

_Why is it always her?_

Yoshiko feels like she’s going to start crying. But she holds it in, because Yo is there, and she’s having a good time. The last thing Yoshiko wants to do is ruin Yo’s fun.

Yo tilts her head, looking back at the sky, clearly impressed. “Wow. That’s the biggest finisher I’ve seen. They really upped the ante this year.”

Yoshiko nods mutely, not trusting herself to not fall apart if she even opens her mouth.

They’re still holding hands, though, and Yoshiko takes a little consolation from that.

Yo watches the sky for a few more moments before turning her head towards Yoshiko. “You know, if you close your eyes and focus, you can still hear the fizzling of the fireworks in the air,” She says.

To be perfectly honest, Yoshiko couldn’t care less about the fizzling of the fireworks. But she still closes her eyes because Yo told her to.

She feels warmth on her lips, and her eyes flash open. Yo is there, she’s really there, actually her, _kissing_ Yoshiko, not a thumb or anything but _for real—_

Yo’s lips taste sweet. Yoshiko’s brain kind of stops working for a moment, completely unable to process what’s going on. Her mind is a slurry of random observations. She smells like the sea, a little bit. Her lips are kind of dry. Yo’s hands have moved to cradle her back, pulling her into a proper embrace. Yo’s eyes are _really_ pretty.

“I heard what you said,” Yo murmurs, when she eventually breaks off the kiss.

That’s when Yoshiko starts crying.

Yo sighs and pulls Yoshiko in, running her hand though Yoshiko’s hair, murmuring her name, holding her comfortingly. “Hey, come on. Don’t cry on me,” She says helplessly.

“Don’t _do_ that you _idiot!_ I nearly had a heart attack,” Yoshiko hiccups, her voice thick and breathy. “ _Don’t you know how much I like you?_ ”

“I didn’t, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t notice,” Yo says apologetically, still hugging Yoshiko, swaying her side to side like a silent waltz. “I’m told I can be a bit dense sometimes.”

“Damn straight, you’re like lead, or— or something,” Yoshiko says forcefully, hugging Yo tighter. “How can someone be so nice, but so _dumb_?”

Yo breathes out. “Now you’re being kind of hurtful.”

Yoshiko glares at Yo, before tilting her head for another kiss, which Yo gladly gives.

This time, there are no fireworks to interrupt them.

**Author's Note:**

> To my regular readers: The Immortal Legends series will be temporarily put on hold while I work out some plot details. In the meantime I will still be posting one-shots and possibly updating my other series as well, so rest assured you'll still get content from me ^^


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